Chapter 4
Verbal Communication
CHAPTER OUTCOMES
•
Describe the power of language—the system of symbols we use to think about and
communicate our experiences and feelings
o Chapter 4 explores language’s nature, function, context, and inherent problems.
•
The Nature of Language examines the concept that language is symbolic, filled with multiple
meanings, informed by our thoughts, ruled by grammar, and bound by context.
o Language Is Symbolic
− Words are symbols that represent persons, ideas, or things that are agreed upon by a
• Phonological rules dictate how words should be pronounced; others may not
understand you if they do not recognize the pronunciation.
• Syntactic rules dictate how words are placed in sentences.
− Each language has its own phonological and syntactic rules; many differ from English.
− Competent communicators will recognize the consequences of words as they see how they
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o Communication acquisition means we learn not only language but also how to use it
appropriately and effectively in various contexts.
o Using Language as a Means of Control
− Language is used to control or influence ourselves and those around us in both positive
and negative ways.
− Using language to express ideas can in and of itself help us feel some control over a
situation (consider victims of violence “speaking out”).
o Using Language to Share Information
− Informing is using language to give and receive information and includes the following
four different aspects:
throughout all areas of life.
o Using Language as Ritual
− Ritualizing is learning rules for managing conversations and relationships.
• Children learn through simple games, teasing, joke telling, gossip.
• Adults learn how to say and do “the right thing” in different circumstances, such as
− Choose words carefully by first considering both types of meaning.
o Abstraction
− Language works on various levels of abstraction that range from vague to specific.
• Linguist S. I. Hayakawa’s abstraction ladder shows how a word can represent high-
level abstractions, which are general and vague, to more specific lower-level
abstractions.
terms.
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− Abstract language should not prevent communicators from attempting to address difficult
issues.
o Group Identification and Meaning
− Abstract language can also offer information about affiliations and memberships.
• Slang (nonstandard language used by a particular group of people during a specific
time in history) is a high-level abstraction in that it can identify people by group.
• Jargon (technical language specific to professions or interest groups) can be abstract to
− Biased Language carries subtle meanings that influence our perceptions about a subject.
− Politically correct language is an attempt to be more inclusive through the use of neutral
terms, such as “police officer” or “chairperson.”
• Critics argue that “PC” language replaces clear focus on real issues with euphemisms
and rhetoric.
listener; using respectful, nondiscriminatory, objective language; and using silence
instead of offensive words.
•
Language Is Bound by Context considers how language works within our relationships,
situations, cultures and in mediated settings.
•
Communication accommodation theory (CAT) explains how competent communicators
or in the classroom.
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− Low language is a less formal language we use in environments that are more
comfortable; it may include slang.
− People adapt their language differently in same-sex versus mixed-sex situations.
culture uses (or does not use) influence thinking.
• Language influences or determines how we see the world; speakers of different
languages have different views of the world.
• But more recent investigations of languages and culture contradict this hypothesis;
we don’t have to have a word for something in order to think about it.
− Researcher and author Deborah Tannen found that women primarily see conversations as
negotiations for closeness and connection, and men see talk as a struggle for control and
independence.
− In negotiating power, when status is equal, men interrupt women more than women
interrupt men.
− Geography and Language refers to the way in which where people live affects their
language and understandings of the world.
o Mediated Contexts
− Written messages can be interpreted differently without the help of nonverbal cues.
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− Language that is more intense can be seen differently by different groups
− Sex and gender influence how we use technology.
− Technology has led to the proliferation of English as the language of the internet.
− Technology has, in some ways, created a language of its own through acronyms like
NOYB (none of your business) and IMHO (in my honest opinion).
CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.
Has your language changed throughout your life? What if you moved to another geographical
area? Changed jobs? Switched schools? Do you remember trying to learn parts of that “new
language”?
2.
How is your communication style different in the classroom than when you are with your
friends? What about with your romantic partner? Your parents? Why do we make those
changes depending on whom we are with?
3.
How do your activities and interests shape the kind of language you use? For example, if you
are a skier, do you talk about snow differently than a non-skier? If you sew, do you talk about
fabric differently?
4.
What are some terms that are commonly used in your geographic area but not in other areas?
5.
What are some examples of “text language” that you might use in your everyday life? Why
are those terms generally acceptable in texting but not in conventional written conversation?
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used in conversation, focus on the ability to communicate among a close network of friends
who might understand these acronyms versus the need to communicate among a broader
variety of people.
PERSONAL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
1. Google the Label
2. Don’t Call Me That!
strategies that you’ve used to have people either stop or start using a particular label for you?
3. Textionary
Have students come up with ten terms (beyond LOL) used in text messages and define them.
4. Gendered Communication
5. Bad Translations
Have students search online for “bad translation” examples from organizations. For example,
1. Jargon/Slang Challenge
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Materials: Blank paper and writing implements for students
Directions:
1.
Ask students to think of jargon or slang that they might use regularly and write the terms
3.
Have students pass their papers to another student, preferably a person whom they do not
4.
Have students return the papers to their original owners.
2. Grammar Race
1.
Scissors
2.
Enough copies of the handout “Grammar Race Sentences” (found at the end of this chapter)
3.
An envelope for each sentence, containing the clipped words (Note: Each team re- quires
2. Distribute one set of four envelopes to each team.
3. On your signal, have students open the first envelope and arrange the words into a
5. Repeat these steps for the remaining three envelopes. It is likely that as the sentences get
more complex, students will have a harder and harder time explaining why each sentence
3.
Vocabulary Lessons
1.
One copy of the “Vocabulary Lessons” handout (found at the end of this chapter) per student
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2.
Blank paper and writing implements for students
3.
Classroom reference resources, such as dictionaries, thesauri, internet access, and other
1. Distribute the “Vocabulary Lessons” handout.
3. Call time, and then have students work together in pairs to see if they can define any of
the terms they did not finish independently.
they come to learn about these words and tools?
4. Writing a Dialogue
1. Blank paper and writing implements for students (if you choose to assign the writing
portion as an in-class exercise)
2. Whiteboard or projector for sharing the following scenarios with the class:
•
Grandchild talking to grandparent
1.
Ask each student to write a dialogue between the two fictitious people from one of the
2.
Once finished, students should pass their dialogues around so that everyone has someone
else’s dialogue.
read them both out loud. How did the dialogues change? Why did the dialogues change?
5. Necklace Charades
Goal: To have students understand how labels we place on each other (in this case, career
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2. Hole puncher
4. One index card per student. Using the marker, write the name of a different life “role” on
each card. Examples of roles include teacher, priest, firefighter, diplomat, president, CEO,
1.
Pass out one index card necklace per student, keeping the words on the card hidden. Tell
2.
Have students walk around and interact with each other. Have them talk to each person as
if they were talking to the person in that actual role. They may not use the word (or any
synonym) of the role that is written on the other person’s back. People should try to guess
what their role is by the way others are interacting with them.
6. Battle of the Sexes
Goal: This activity builds upon the And You? on p. 00 of the text.
1. Break the class into two groups, male and female.
2. Have each group answer questions that are coded as being the opposite gender. So, for
example, males may be asked questions about soap operas, while females would be asked
questions about car repair.
1. What does it mean when we say that language is symbolic?
2. What is the difference between the denotative meaning and the connotative meaning of a
word?
3. How can language be used as a ritual? Provide examples.
4. Define the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Do you agree with this idea? Why or why not?
5. What is code switching? Provide an example.
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6. What is accommodation? When is it most often used?
7. Provide an example of a tag question.
8. What does the research say about language usage and gender? Be detailed in your answer.
MEDIA
Mockingbird Don’t Sing
(Dorian Films, 2001)
the challenges Katie needed to overcome to learn to express herself verbally.
The N Word: Divided We Stand
[DVD] (MediaLink Entertainment, 2004)
language and culture. Give students an opportunity and safe space to react to this powerful
film.
Nebraska
(Paramount Vantage, 2013)
discuss with students how the characters withhold information from each other and why.
The Sessions
(Fox Searchlight, 2012)
Inspired by the experiences and writings of Mark O’Brien, a paralyzed poet who employed
characters to express themselves physically. Although neither explicit nor sensational, The
Sessions contains nudity and sexual situations.
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HANDOUTS
Grammar Race Sentences
The following words should be used to complete the classroom activity “Grammar Race.”
1. See the big fish.
3. At what time will you come home tomorrow?
4. For no continuity of social act is possible without a corresponding social status, and the many
different kinds of acts required in an industrial state, with its high degree of specialization, make
1. Multifarious
3. Deposition
5. Repine
7. Inveterate
9. Maelstrom
10. Jingoist